Cold Kayaking, February 16, 2015

Pat and I left Bend shortly after 5AM in order to have time to drive to Crane Prairie Reservoir and get on the water before sunrise. Usually Crane Prairie is not accessible during the middle of winter, because of snow, but not this year. Conditions were perfect when we arrived, except it was cold and breezy! I know, what did we expect.

The tiny crescent moon peeked through scattered low clouds as we prepared the kayaks and put them in the water. As we paddled, color started coming into the sky, then the clouds lit up. It was a beautiful morning!

The overnight temperature had been cold enough that when we paddled amongst the willows, we had to break through ice; in some places it was more than 1" thick. It was good fun playing icebreaker in our plastic boats, making a heck of a noise. Good clean fun!